New Morton Middle School readies for crush of students

If the reaction of teachers is any indication, students at the soon-to-open James Madison Morton Middle School could very well fall in love with the new $63 million space that will be their building this fall.

If the reaction of teachers is any indication, students at the soon-to-open James Madison Morton Middle School could very well fall in love with the new $63 million space that will be their building this fall.

There was still some dust in the hallways, many stacks of boxes and computers left to unpack, and rooms left to decorate. But the furniture is all in place.

A new track and courts outdoors, and a pristine gymnasium indoors, will soon be subjected to sneakers.

In Katie-Lee MacNeil’s classroom, world history books were already on each desk, awaiting students.

“I don’t know what to do with all this cabinet space,” said MacNeil — who teaches the seventh-grade course on ancient world history — while she unloaded classroom supplies into the cabinets.

Each classroom is equipped with multiple computers, dry-erase whiteboards and projectors.

MacNeil said it’s “a huge improvement” over Morton’s former building.

“I hope they appreciate it,” she said of the students.

Sixth-grade science teachers Eddie Abdow and Steve Prario were discussing how they planned to set up their rooms Wednesday afternoon.

“Steve, how are you going to set up your desks?” Abdow asked his colleague.

“That depends on the number of students,” Prario responded.

Their new classrooms are set up for hands-on science learning, with lab tables instead of desks and stools instead of chairs.

Abdow is one of nearly a dozen former Henry Lord Middle School teachers to set up shop in the new school. He is also a former Morton Middle School student. Prario taught at the former Morton building.

“I’m obviously going to miss Henry Lord,” Abdow said. “But to be coming into a building like this is indescribable.”

Referring to metal rods located at each desk, Abdow said, “At Henry Lord, it was only at my table. Now every table has this. You can hang different things on it. I feel so happy for these kids.”

Abdow said he is more likely to find teaching with the new technology more challenging than it will be for the students to adopt. “What I did at Henry Lord is I let the kids use it,” referring to things like the laser pen used as a pointing device.

Abdow, the former owner of Frosty Beverages, said he plans to continue a class he began at Henry Lord called “The Science of Soda.”

Audio engineers from Chicopee-based Valley Communications were still setting up the computerized audio and video controls in the auditorium Wednesday afternoon, so that those who use the space will be able to use those systems with “two or three buttons,” explained Nick Hopkins, a systems engineer.

“I have a big, beautiful space,” said Kathleen Silveira, the longtime school nurse at Morton, while unpacking into her new office late Tuesday afternoon.

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Silveira was one of several staff members putting in extra hours to prepare the city’s latest new school building for the opening of the 2013-14 academic year this week.

“The students will love it,” Silveira said.

There is plenty of work left to do and little time left to do it. Delivery trucks could be observed hauling boxes of books and other educational material earlier in the week. Those boxes were in stacks throughout the main office and elsewhere in the building.

This week, there will be students in each room. And the week after, a series of dedications will be held. The city will hold an opening ceremony for the building at 10 a.m. on Sept. 9, according to mayor Will Flanagan.

“It’s crunch time. It’s very exciting,” Morton Principal Sheryl Rabbitt said. “I’m just glad the district, the union and the School Committee all supported this.”